The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, replied this weekend to the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, who, in a letter of 8 August, had asked the Commission to take action on the migration front and to get involved in coordinating temporary landing operations for migrants rescued at sea.
In this reply, revealed by Politico and seen by EUROPE, the President of the Commission emphasises that, from a legal point of view, it is not within the Commission's competence to coordinate search and rescue operations at sea or the landing of rescued persons, but that the institution has nevertheless increased its calls on the Member States to provide a humanitarian response to these persons.
The Commission also remains strongly involved in the follow-up on the ground; the President explains that 15 migrants disembarked from the Open Arms have already been transferred to Spain on 27 August. For those in the Ocean Viking, the Commission is also on the ground in Malta to speed up relocation operations to other Member States (see EUROPE 12312/5).
The Commission is now observing the situations of other vessels, including the Eleonore and Mare Jonio, which demonstrate, if necessary, that a "predictable and sustainable" solution is "urgently" required, pending the reform of the Dublin Regulation and the European asylum system, which "must remain a common priority", writes President Juncker. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)